Heather Allen is “Barely Breathing”

Please welcome author Heather Allen with a look at BARELY BREATHING, an exciting new book which follows her previous release JUST BREATHE.

Barely Breathing

Ever Harding used to believe in love. That is until she was left heartbroken by the only person she ever really loved, Jack, the mysterious boy from her history class. Little did she know he was born of the sea, on land to watch over her. But was he really? She made the ultimate sacrifice, to live in the sea as a mermaid, for Jack and for love. But she found that in the end, that love wasn’t enough.

Now she finds herself alone, having to make a huge choice. She must decide whether to defend others against the choices she has made or fight for the freedoms of a population, she has just become a part of.

Ever’s brother James, became a part of the sea not by any choice of his own, but he is willing to embrace it as long as a certain long legged, beauty is by his side. But as his sister found, things are not always as they seem.

In the end what they feared the most comes to reality, the battle, waged between staying true to life in the sea or changing a race of people to become more powerful and diverse. Will Ever and James survive the lines drawn in the sand or will they have to battle each other for what they believe?

Little do they know the battle in the end, will be something entirely different than what they were ready for.

Barely Breathing | Excerpt – James’s POV

As I climb the steps I notice the bench swing moving. I glance over and see Sara with one leg dangling over the edge and the other pulled under her. She’s reading again. She must not have heard us pull up because she hasn’t looked up yet. I stand there and take in the sight. Her wavy, golden hair is hanging across her face. One hand is touching her pink lips as if she’s deep in thought. And that leg, just peeking out of her dress, it goes on forever. It’s moving the swing just slightly.

She must feel my eyes on her. She glances up and notices me. She jumps as if I startled her. My eyes meet hers. I could get lost in them, like they’re a mirror of the ocean. She pushes her hair behind her ear and closes her book looking down over the edge of the swing to find her shoes and slips into them as she climbs off the bench.

As she walks slowly toward me I glance away and fumble with my keys, trying to unlock the door. She reaches out her hand to stop me. I glance back down at her.

“How long were you standing there?”

I shrug my shoulders, caught, “Not long.”

She licks her bottom lip, I can’t help but notice. Something in me does a tumble and I suddenly can’t breathe. She takes her hand away from my keys so I look down trying to find the right one. Ugh, how long does it take to open a door? Finally, I find the key and open the door letting her go first. I stand there for a few seconds longer trying to catch my breath.

Heather Allen

Heather Allen lives in Melbourne, Florida with her husband and three kids. She has been a teacher for fifteen years now. Most recently, teaching reading, exclusively. Her dream has always been to write a book. She is an avid reader of just about any genre. When she’s not reading, she is usually at the beach or out on the water with her family.

About Sarah Ballance

Sarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids, but nevertheless, you’ll find her writing sexy contemporary romance for Entangled Publishing until they throw her out. To learn more, visit http://sarahballance.com.